Finding my Path
by OCnative
Summary: Takes place after the Heights, but goes much further. Rated R for language, violence, sexual content and drug references. Please R&R.
1. One

Disclaimer: (Unfortunately) I don't own anything OC or Fox related.

Set after The Heights.

Ryan and Marissa exited the Ferris wheel, still caught up in their first kiss. Ryan's arm slung around Marissa's waist; she laughed and leaned into his side.

From behind them came a voice., "Hey, Chino!"

Ryan turned around just in time collide with Luke's fist.

"Stop it, stop it, Luke!" Marissa screamed.

Ryan, caught off guard by the blow, swung back around and threw a punch in Luke's direction.

Marissa screamed and crumpled to the ground._ Oh fuck_, he'd hit her instead.

Ryan crouched down. "Marissa, Marissa, are you okay?"

Hearing the commotion and seeing her best friend lying on the ground, Summer ran over to help Marissa.

"Chino, get the hell out of the way!" Summer yelled.

Ryan looked around; Luke had disappeared into the crowd. Typical. Luke started trouble and then left, leaving Ryan to take the blame for everything. He was exactly like Trey.

"It's okay Summer, it was Luke's fault, not Ryan's." Marissa got to her feet, her cheek already swelling up.

"Come on Ryan, let's go." Marissa turned to Summer. "Really, everything's okay. Well not with Luke, but with Ryan and me…" Her voice trailed off and a smile came to her face.

"Oh!" Summer now understood what'd happened. She gave Ryan a knowing smirk. "Sorry Chi… I mean Ryan."

Ryan turned from Summer back to Marissa. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to take you home?" Crap, here they were, finally together, and everything was ruined. He didn't want to take her home yet, and he felt like she was slipping through his fingers already.

"No, I don't want to go back home with my face looking like this. Can we go back to your place? Maybe you can get me an ice pack or something." She managed a half smile despite the swelling from where he'd clobbered her.

"I think I can arrange that," he said sheepishly.

Ryan went to find Seth to tell him they were leaving early and that he needed the Range Rover. "Dude, you and Marissa. Finally. Man, that is awe-some. Yeah, I'll try and get a ride home with Summer."

Back in the Range Rover, Ryan kept looking over at Marissa. Was this really happening? He and she… were they together, finally? Yeah. She'd chosen him, and he was going to do whatever it took not to mess this up. He should've been more aware of where Luke was when they got off the ride. Surely he'd seen the whole thing – Ryan and Marissa laughing, kissing, kissing some more. He'd just been so caught up in everything when they got off the Ferris wheel. He had to find a way to make some peace. He couldn't go back to lock up after what the Cohens had gone though to help him out, and he didn't want to lose Marissa when they'd finally gotten together.

"Okay, we're here, Chateau de Cohen." Ryan laughed as he opened the passenger door to let Marissa out of the truck.

"Wait, I, um, can we go to the pool house instead? I just don't really want to run into the Cohens," Marissa said, pointing to her cheek.

"Yeah, sure, let me grab an ice pack from the kitchen. You can wait here, or go ahead and walk over. I'll be there in a sec."

She let herself into the pool house and looked around. It still looked so… Cohen-esk. Ryan didn't have very many things to make the place "his." It was a lot like her own "space" now that she was living with her dad and sleeping on the sofa. So different from the large bedroom she'd had with all of her stuff. Her _stuff_, what good did it all do her now, huh? Her dad was living in an apartment, trying to find a way to stay out of jail; her mom, still living in the mansion next door with Caitlin, was acting like life was normal. What was "normal" any more? The fact of the matter was that her parents were getting a divorce, and Luke had been cheating on her with Holly and God only knows who else. She'd finally acted on her growing feelings for Ryan, and that seemed to be the only thing that felt _right_ in all of this. And now, here she was, in his room. She wondered how much experience he had. Would he laugh that she'd only had sex once, with Luke? She couldn't believe she'd held out that long to lose her virginity and it all turned into such a gigantic mess. If she and Ryan did it, she vowed it would be different. 

"With Ryan, I'm guessing that experience equals knowledge," she half-whispered out loud, smiling to herself.

Breaking her revere, Ryan walked into the room with an ice pack. "Everything okay?" he asked.

Marissa jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, yeah, fine, thanks." She rushed to raise the ice pack to her swollen face.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to hold the pack to her face. Funny, she'd caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror of the Range Rover and was frightened by what she saw, but oddly enough, it didn't really hurt. She was just hoping to reduce the swelling before her dad saw her. She would have to make sure her mom didn't find out, she already hated Ryan as it was.

"Marissa, I'm so sorry, I never wanted to do anything to hurt you, and then I wind up punching you right after our first kiss…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her. God, she was beautiful, ice pack and all.

"It's okay Ryan, really, I feel fine. I just didn't want my dad to freak out." She looked around the room and went back to her thoughts of Ryan's possible experience. "Would it be okay if… well, I just don't want to have to see my dad right now, so would it be okay if I stayed here? With you?" She looked at him pensively.

Would he be able to read her face? Know what she was thinking? Should she even be thinking it? She knew it was _way_ too soon, but somehow, it all just felt so right. Like she could just let loose; she felt so safe with him. She'd been attracted to him since they first met outside by the driveways and bummed a cigarette. From then on, it seemed that he was always around. One of the few people who made sense right now, whom she could trust. He was so honest, so _not like everyone else in her life_. Her attraction had grown over time. She knew it'd only been a few weeks, but she felt as if she'd known Ryan forever. She also knew that she was falling in love with him.

He looked at her questioningly. She wanted to stay the night? Sure she didn't want her dad to see her, but since it was so late, he wouldn't even be up. By morning, the swelling would've gone down for the most part. He'd fantasized about them together, but… _Get it together Ryan,_ he thought. He didn't want her to know what he was thinking. If things worked out between the two of them, then maybe someday he'd see his fantasies come true, he just needed to make sure not to mess things up.

"Sure, I can, um, get you some sweats and a T shirt to sleep in." He left her rather quickly; he had to get it together before she figured out what he'd been thinking. It was too soon. She'd only ever been with Luke once, from what Summer had told Seth, and Seth had told him. Would she ask him what kind of experience he had? Should he tell her the truth? That he'd never had a girlfriend, but had slept with plenty if girls. No, he couldn't tell her that, it would freak her out.

"Here you go," he said as he handed her some clothes to wear to bed. He'd also changed into an undershirt and a pair of sweat bottoms.

Marissa looked up at him, standing there in his tank top, holding out some clothes for her to sleep in. Suddenly, she felt really clear about what she wanted to do. She set the ice pack down, took the clothes, set them on the floor, looked up at Ryan, took his hand, and smiled at him. _He has to know what I want him to do,_ she thought to herself.

Ryan looked at her, reaching her hand out to him. _Holy shit, what was she doing_?

Marissa pulled him down to the bed, on top of her, and started kissing him. Kissing him like on the Ferris wheel. Kissing him because it just felt so right, and she didn't want to wait any longer.

"Marissa, wait, what're you doing?" What was he saying? He sure as hell didn't want her to stop, but he also didn't want her to be doing something she'd only regret later. That would kill him. He sat up on the bed.

She also sat up and pulled away slightly. Did he not want to?

"I mean, are you wanting to, are you leading to… or am I jumping to conclusions? It's just that it's so soon."

"Don't you want to be with me? I thought that you and I…" She started to pull away farther. Crap, now he probably thought she was easy or something.

"NO, wait, I mean yes, _YES,_ of course I want to be with you. I've wanted you for so long, but it's so soon, and you and Luke…" His voice trailed off. Shit, why did he say Luke's name?!?

"Ryan, I don't know what to say, I just feel different with you, like we've been together forever, like I can trust you to not leave me, like we're meant to be together. I know it is really soon, but I feel really sure about this. I feel safe with you."

He looked at her. He loved her. He'd loved her for awhile now. He'd had no intention of telling her so soon, he knew it _was_ too soon. It could be the kiss of death on any relationship they may have. He'd never told a girl he loved her; hell, he'd never told anyone he loved them. Not his worthless mom, not Trey, no one. He'd probably screw it up. He didn't want to blow it and scare her off. But he didn't want to have sex with her without telling her he loved her. He wanted this to be different than other times. Marissa was different.

"Marissa, I want this to be right, to be special. I want this, and I want you, but I want it to be more than sex; I want to make love to you, and to hold you in my arms, and tell you that I love you." Ryan looked at her, the words just rushing out of his mouth. 

She looked at him. _Did he just tell her he loved her? Did she love him?_ This was so different than it had been with Luke. She'd loved Luke, but it felt more forced. Like they were expected to be together. Lord knew her mom was always pushing her to be with Luke, it just had seemed easier to make everyone happy and play along. Now, here was Ryan telling her he loved her. He looked so sincere. Sincere and scared at the same time. For the first time, she was in love with a guy for her own reasons, and Ryan loved her back.

She looked like she was going to cry, "Ryan, I love you, too."

He leaned into her, held her in his arms, and started gently kissing her, feeling his mouth on hers, feeling her breath on his face, wanting her with every fiber of his being. He guided her back on the bed.

"Hey Ryan, you are never going to believe who kissed me!" Seth walked into the room, and only then saw Ryan and Marissa on the bed. "Oh shit, I'm sorry man. I am so sorry. Sorry Marissa. I was just, um, leaving." Seth turned around and left the room as quickly as he entered it.

Ryan looked at Marissa; shit, she was getting up from the bed.

"Ryan, um, maybe you're right and we need to wait for the right timing. It's late, I think I'll go ahead and go home; I don't want to get you into trouble with the Cohens. Seeing the troubled look on Ryan's face, Marissa kissed him again.

Ryan got up, grabbed a jacket, and headed for the door to take her home. Tomorrow, he was going to have a little chat with Seth.


	2. Two

"Ryan, what would you like for breakfast?" Kirsten asked. He'd been just sitting at the breakfast nook, obviously deep in thought. "How was the carnival last night, did you and Seth have fun?"

At that, Seth walked into the kitchen glancing sideways at Ryan. "Hey mom, the carnival was pretty good, not much different from every other year in Newport." He sat down next to Ryan, searching his face for any sort of emotion. As if Ryan ever showed any emotion.

"I think I'll just take a bagel to go, Mrs. Cohen, I gotta get to work." With that, Ryan got up, grabbed a bagel and walked out towards the pool house.

Catching up to Ryan, Seth said, "Hey man, I'm so sorry about last night, I had no idea Marissa was with you, I thought you took her home."

"Naw man, don't worry about it, everything's okay." Ryan smiled and looked at Seth. Poor kid, he looked so freaked out at the prospect of Ryan being mad at him. So much like how he and Trey were; Ryan was always trying to make sure that he was cool enough to hang out with his older brother. He would cut Seth some slack and not be an asshole like Trey. He never wanted to be like Trey; well, not anymore.

Seeing Ryan glowing, despite having walked in and interrupted something between he and Marissa last night, Seth asked, "So what's going on? I mean, with you and Marissa, are you a couple now?"

Ryan grabbed his work clothes and turned to leave. "Yeah, you could say that."

*

"Daddy, I swear, I'm perfectly fine, the bruise will heal before school on Monday, and it was a total accident. Luke started it by hitting Ryan." Marissa was sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal. Her father had freaked out that morning, but was much better now. That was one thing she loved about her dad, he trusted her, listened to her, and treated her like a grown up. Her mother would've been in hysterics and not listening to her right now.

The door bell rang; Jimmy got up to see who it was. If it was Luke, he was ready to punch him out himself. After the incident in TJ, Luke had it coming. But it was Summer. "Is Coop here?" she asked. Jimmy looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, if she wasn't still with you, where else would she be?" 

Ignoring the question, Summer brushed past him and headed for Marissa. "Oh, Coop, are you okay? Your face looks so much better." Summer went into the kitchen and got a bowl out of the cabinet and sat down, grabbing the cereal box.

"Help yourself to some breakfast," Marissa said winking at Summer.

"Well, you know how it is, my step mother's too busy with her little Newport fundraisers to go grocery shopping." Jimmy left the girls to talk about whatever it was that teenage girls talk about. Sometimes it was better not to know.

After Jimmy was clearly out of earshot, Summer turned to Marissa. "So what happened Coop, come on, spill it!"

Marissa smiled at her friend. Summer truly just wanted Marissa to be happy. It seemed like just yesterday she was asking the same question, with the same glee, when she was referring to Marissa's relationship with Luke.

"Well not much to report, but I guess you could say we're a couple." Marissa laughed as she saw Summer's pout. Changing the subject away from herself, she asked, "So Summer, what did you do last night?"

Summer turned bright red. Marissa had an idea that whatever the news Seth was busting at the seams with last night involved Summer.

"Oh, nothing, it was pretty boring. Mr. Lewis saw the whole episode with Luke and Ryan and caught up with Luke as he was trying to leave the carnival. I think he's getting suspended or something."

Marissa looked at Summer and gave her a smile. "So, nothing special happened with _you_ last night?"

Okay, Seth must've told Ryan, who… "Okay, yes. Something did happen. I kissed Seth Cohen okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Well, did you tell him you liked him?"

"Um, eew!" Summer looked at Marissa. Okay, that wasn't going to work here. Coop knew the truth. "Okay, yes, I like him, no I didn't tell him, and yes I kissed him, okay? Then he asked me for a ride home because he said that you and Ryan took the Range Rover."

"Wow! I can't believe you were going to withhold that information from me," Marissa said, laughing. Summer had turned the same color red as her shirt. "So, what's the next step? Are you a couple?"

Summer was looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. "Not so fast, Coop, it wasn't that big of a deal, really. Can we change the subject? Like, how about shopping?"

Marissa gave her a sideways look. "This topic isn't over. Just think, we could go on a double date."

"Fine." Summer mumbled. "But for now, let's go to the beach."

*

"So, Seth, what was it you were going to tell me last night in the pool house? Something about a kiss?" Ryan asked as they were sitting in the pool house, playing video games.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. Again, I'm so sorry about that. Do you want me to talk to Marissa? Is she pissed?"

"No, everything's okay. So, what were you going to tell me?"

Seth hit the pause button. "Well, it was the strangest thing, Summer came up from behind me, and she and I started talking, only it was different. She was acting all shy and stuff. Then she kissed me; can you believe it? I thought maybe she was trying to get revenge on Anna or something, but I don't think so, man, I think she finally digs me." Trying to act casual and returning to the game, Seth continued, "So then, are we all going to go on a double date at some point?"


	3. Three

When Marissa got home, there was a note from her dad for her to call her mother. What in the hell could she want now? Marissa sighed, picked up the phone, and dialed her mom.

"Marissa honey, I wanted you to come over for dinner this evening, I really miss you, and Caitlin misses you, too. Won't you just come over for dinner? It'll just be the three of us." 

Marissa sighed, she did miss her little sister. "Okay, fine mom, I'll be there at 6:00 for dinner, but I'm not staying the night." She hung up the phone and went upstairs to find something to wear. If she timed it right, she could sneak by the pool house after dinner.

*

"Luke, sweetie, it's been forever, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? It'll give you and Marissa a chance to talk about things. Be here at 6:30, okay?" Julie hung up the phone and smiled at herself. This Ryan kid was bad news, and she just knew that if she could get Marissa and Luke talking again, they'd get back together. Marissa needed a boy like Luke, not like Ryan.

*

Marissa called Ryan. "I'm going to my mom's for dinner, it'll be her, Caitlin, and me. I'm hoping to come over to your place afterwards, but it probably won't be until 9:00 or so. Is that okay?"

__

Okay? Ryan thought; it was better than okay. He'd had a hard time focusing at work today, all he kept thinking about was Marissa. "Of course it's okay; I'll make sure the coast is clear." 

*

"Marissa, honey, it's so good to see you. Caitlin should be home from soccer practice in a few minutes. Tell me how school is going." 

Marissa sat down on the couch; she'd had forgotten about soccer practice. She should've come over at 6:30, and she could've avoided this stupid chit chat. "It's fine mom, nothing much is going on," Marissa said as she wandered into the kitchen. "So, what's for dinner?"

This was all going according to plan. Caitlin was going over to a friend's house for pizza, and Luke was due to come over any minute now. She knew Marissa would be upset at first, but she'd be okay, everything would be okay, and Marissa would be happy again. She'd set the table for three so Marissa wouldn't expect anything, but she had no intention of staying here in the kitchen when Luke showed up.

*

Luke was driving over to Julie Cooper's house. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but she was pretty persuasive on the phone, and he really did want a chance to talk to Marissa without that asshole around. He knew she was mad at him, and had every right to be, but he also felt pretty confident that he could win her back, just like always.

Luke pulled into the driveway. He'd borrowed his mom's Lexus so that neither Marissa, nor that asshole next door would recognize his truck. He checked himself out in the mirror once more; - yeah, he looked good - and he got out of the car and headed for the front door.

Hearing the doorbell, and wanting to escape the kitchen where her mother was, Marissa answered the door. Caitlin must've forgotten her key.


	4. Four

When she opened the door, there stood Luke. _What in the hell was going on?_ She turned around just as her mother rushed up. "Come in, Luke." Julie rushed to close the door behind him before Marissa understood what was going on.

"Hi, Marissa, your mom invited me over so we could talk about us." She looked mad. _This isn't going to be as easy,_ he thought. 

Julie Cooper walked up behind her daughter. "Marissa, honey, I know things have been rough with you and Luke, but you should talk things out; come sit down and have dinner together." Julie started pushing Luke and Marissa towards the dining room. At least she'd gotten Luke into the house before Marissa flipped out, that was the first hurdle.

"What?!? No, mother, I do NOT want to sit and have dinner with Luke, are you crazy? Where's Caitlin, what in the hell's going on?"

Julie pulled out a dining room chair and practically pushed Marissa into it. Taking the hint, Luke took the place opposite Marissa. "Well, Caitlin's going to a friend's house for dinner. I know that you're mad right now, but this was the only way I knew that I could get you to come over, and to fix things with you and Luke. You're mad now, but you'll want to thank me later." Julie turned to go into the kitchen to bring out the lasagna she'd made earlier.

"Marissa, wait, I know that you're really mad right now, but can't we just talk? So many things are unresolved between us. We've been together too long to leave things hanging like this."

Almost on cue, Julie came back with lasagna in a casserole dish and set it down on the table, departing to the living room. While she couldn't force Marissa to stay at the table and eat with Luke, she could keep her daughter from leaving the house.

"Look Luke, I don't know what you and my mother have been scheming up, but there is no 'us;' not anymore. Not only did you cheat on me with countless girls in the '949', but I'm with Ryan now. 'We' are over." Marissa began to get up from the table. She was going to Ryan's. She was never coming to her mother's house again, not alone.

This was not going according to plan. Luke knew she'd be pissed, but once he looked into her eyes, he thought he'd have her again. She'd always belonged to him; and she always would. He got up and grabbed her by the arm, she was not going to leave him again; he just needed to get her to listen.

"Luke, you're hurting me, let go of me! Mother, help me!" Marissa screamed. She tried to hit Luke, but he anticipated her move and held her other hand as well. He twisted her arms behind her back. He was going to take her upstairs, and they were going to work this out. No one ever told him "no," and certainly not Marissa Cooper.

Hearing her daughter scream "help me," Julie ran in to see Luke strong-arming Marissa in the corner of the dining room. He looked up at Julie, and the look on his face was full of rage. This was not part of the plan. Julie knew that she was no match for Luke; she did the only thing she could think to do, she picked up the phone to call Sandy Cohen.

*

"Julie, calm down, I can't understand you; what's going on?" Sandy waived at Kirsten to get her attention, he had a feeling something was really wrong next door. "Luke's there and he's hurting Marissa?!" Sandy couldn't believe it, he knew that Luke was a jock, but never thought he'd ever harm Marissa, not physically at least.

Hearing the last part, Seth, Kirsten, and Ryan turned to look at Sandy. Ryan ran to the balcony to see what he could see. Luke's truck wasn't there, but there was a strange Lexus that he'd never seen before. Marissa was supposed to be having dinner with Caitlin and her mom right now, how in the hell did Luke get over there?

The three of them ran for the front door at the same time that Sandy was hanging up the receiver. "Wait guys, this is something that Kirsten and I can handle, Ryan you're on probation and do not need to get into yet another fist fight." Sandy was rushing for the door with Kirsten in tow, but the boys beat him to it.

*

Ryan and Seth ran to the Cooper's front door. Julie had already opened it and was alternating between screaming at Luke and screaming for help.

"They're up there," Julie said, pointing to Marissa's old room. She felt so stupid, how could this have turned so ugly?

Upstairs, Luke had locked the two of them in Marissa's room. They were going to talk. Well, he was, anyway, she was going to listen. They were supposed to be together, and that was all there was to it. She was crying right now, but she would stop, she would realize it was for the best; he loved her.

"Luke, please let me go. I'm sorry, but you're hurting me." Marissa was pleading with Luke, who still had her arms pinned as he straddled on top of her stomach. He looked crazy.

"Shut up and listen, Marissa. Holly and those girls, they didn't mean anything to me. You'd been holding out for so long, what's a guy like me supposed to do? I have needs, you know. It was all your fault, if you'd just started putting out a long time ago, I wouldn't have needed to be with those other girls. But now things can be different. We'll be together, and everything will be just fine. You just have to stop hanging out with Chino next door." Luke started to fumble with her blouse.

Sandy got to the front door as Seth and Ryan were charging up the stairs. Marissa's bedroom door was shut and most likely locked. "Open up, Luke, and let Marissa go!" Ryan yelled as he landed on the top stair.

__

Shit, why was Chino here? Wasn't Julie supposed to be helping him? "Suck it, Chino, this is a party for two and you're not invited!" Luke yelled.

"Ryan, help me please!" Marissa screamed just before Luke slapped her across the face to shut her up.

Seth stood back, and Ryan began kicking the door. He looked like he'd done this before. Seth tried not to think about that and was just glad that Ryan was here to do things like kick doors down and challenge the biggest jock in school.

On the fourth kick, the door splintered and opened. Luke was on top of Marissa, her blouse was unbuttoned, and he was grabbing at the rest of her clothes. Ryan charged in the room and took a swing at Luke. Luke was ready for the blow, but it still rocked him off of Marissa just enough for her roll out from underneath him.

Luke jumped up to finish what he'd started at the carnival. Julie Cooper wasn't going to be of much help, and he could kick Cohen's ass with his arms tied behind his back.

Seth grabbed Marissa and pulled her out of the room, she was trying to pull her shirt back on as Sandy was coming up the top of the stairs, followed by Julie and Kirsten.

Ryan turned to Luke. He was so sick of this shit, and Luke attacking Marissa was over the edge. He was going to kick his ass here and now, le the chips fall where they may.

The two boys started beating on each other, knocking over furniture and breaking things. Sandy entered the room while Kirsten was trying to figure out whether or not to call 911, and Julie was going after Marissa, who'd fled to Caitlin's room to put her clothes back on. 

Sandy was able to get between the boys, and together, he and Ryan were able to pin Luke to the floor. Sandy started yelling at Luke to quit fighting them. 

Seeing that he was not going to get up, Luke spit in Ryan's face and stopped struggling with Sandy. He would finish this another day. _Friggin' Julie Cooper, she was supposed to be helping, why did she let these assholes into the house?_

*

Kirsten sat down on Caitlin's bed and faced Marissa. It was just the two of them. Marissa had started screaming at Julie, so Kirsten told her to wait while she talked to Marissa. She also asked Seth to call Jimmy Cooper and tell him to come over. 

"Marissa, honey, what happened?" As Marissa started to cry, she told Kirsten everything about her mother's twisted scheme and what Luke had tried to do. "Marissa, it's your decision, do you want us to call the police and file a report or not?"

Marissa looked at Kirsten. _Why couldn't her own mother be like this?_ She was talking to her like an adult and letting her make decisions. She was sure there were going to be issues, but she looked up at Kirsten and quietly said, "Yes."

*

That night, after everyone had been down to the police station and had gone through what happened, Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Marissa, Ryan, and Jimmy went back to the Cohens' house around 9:00. Charges were being pressed against Luke, and to a smaller extent, against Julie, at least where it would help with Jimmy's custody case. Ryan was off the hook, and Marissa seemed okay despite what had almost happened to her.

"Once again, here I am, at the Cohens', in need of an ice pack." Marissa smiled at Ryan. Neither Sandy nor Kirsten understood the joke, but let it go as Kirsten rummaged through the freezer for one.

Jimmy hugged his daughter with one arm, and turned to Ryan. "Ryan, I know that you've had a rocky road with my soon-to-be ex-wife, but I want you to know how thankful I am for what you did tonight. You're welcome in my home any time."

Ryan looked up at Jimmy, he was glad that no one was yelling at him for ignoring Sandy and running out the door and fighting with Luke again. "Thanks, Mr. Cooper."

*

"So Ry, how'd you learn to kick down doors like that?" Seth had settled himself down into a chair in the pool house after Jimmy and Marissa went home, and Sandy and Kirsten had gone to bed.

Ryan gave him a sideways glance. "You don't want to know."

"Sure I do, I've been dying to know what kind of stuff you got into in Chino, and _didn't_ get caught for. Think you could give me a lesson or two?"

"I plead the fifth." Ryan said with a laugh. He sure as hell wasn't sharing that part of his life with Seth Cohen. No one in Newport needed to know what he used to do before he and Trey got busted.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere, Seth changed the subject. "So, now that you're in good with the Coopers, how about getting around to setting up a double date for us?"

"Sounds good to me, I think Marissa could use a fun night out right now."


	5. Five

The girls were standing in Summer's bedroom surveying their clothing choices. "I still can't believe you talked me into going on a double date. Everyone's going to see us!" Summer wailed. "I'm not ready to come out of the closet with Seth Cohen yet." She sat down on the edge of the bed. Hopefully Marissa would see the error of her ways and change their plans.

"Relax, Summer, everything will be fine. It's up in Huntington Beach; we're going to go to dinner and then hang out at the pier. No one from Newport is going to see you and Seth Cohen." 

She looked at Summer, trying to find the best way to say what was really on her mind. "Summer, you know you're going to have to start treating him a little bit better, Anna's certainly waiting in the wings and you don't want to push Seth away."

Summer turned to Marissa "Yeah, I know Coop, but I'm not like you, it's harder for me to say 'screw you' to popularity and go with my gut."

*

"So do you think I should wear my X-Men boxer shorts or what, dude?" Seth was nervously fidgeting with his shirt. He looked at Ryan; he could tell he was also a little nervous, but was hiding it better.

"I think you're wearing enough hair product to be considered a fire hazard," Ryan said with a smirk. "C'mon, let's go pick up the girls."

*

After dinner at Duke's, the foursome started walking along the sidewalk in front of the beachfront homes.

"Hey, Atwood, is that you, man?" Ryan turned to see a guy Trey's age, leaning over the ground-floor balcony of a house with a party in full swing. He recognized the guy, his name was Craig, and he'd been really good friends with Trey. He and his parents had moved to Orange County to get him out of the "bad element," as Craig's mother had called it.

Ryan walked towards Craig a bit. "Yeah, man, how's it going? These are my friends, Seth, Summer, and this is Marissa."

Craig leaned over the railing. "I heard that Trey was in lock up; come on in man, you and your friends are welcome to come in and enjoy our little shin-dig."

Ryan turned to see what everyone wanted to do, and Seth and Summer were already making their way to house.

*

The living room was large and crowded with bodies, most of them twenty-something, all of them drunk and, or, high. Ryan started to get a little nervous, it hadn't been too long since he'd been confronted with drugs; he didn't want to get hooked again. That was a part of his old life. He saw Seth and Summer, they were already drinking, and Marissa was heading over to the makeshift bartender. He followed her and tried to put the mirrored trays of cocaine out of his mind. 

*

"Ry, would you take a look at this place?" Seth asked. He sounded like a little kid in a candy store. He'd had a lot to drink, Ryan had lost count. Hell, he was trying to keep tabs on Marissa, Seth, and Summer. So far it helped him keep his mind off the coke that was a few feet away on the coffee table. The whole party seemed to be one big free for all.

"Hey guys, I really think we should be going, you know?" Ryan looked at his watch. He'd lost track of Marissa again. He looked at Seth and Summer; she was all over him. He wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure he'd seen Summer doing a line when Seth was getting another round of drinks. He was going to have to ask her about it at some point. He didn't think Seth had ever even seen coke.

"Anyone seen Marissa?" Ryan asked, glancing around the room.

"Relax man, she's around here somewhere. You look like you need a drink." Seth reached behind him, to the bar, and grabbed a drink off the counter, handing it to Ryan.

Ryan set it down; the last thing he needed was a drink right now. He'd lose what control he had and start doing lines if he wasn't careful. He wanted to get them out of there, but didn't want the Newpsies to know about his little habit. Ex-habit.

Marissa came around the corner from the bathroom. Ryan was pretty sure she'd only had one drink since they got there. After her little stunt in Mexico, he didn't want to see her lose control either.

"Hey, honey, this party is pretty cool, don't you think?" Marissa asked, eyeing the living room.

"Yeah, it's a real blast, but I think we should go, we don't need this kind of trouble right now." Ryan motioned for Seth to grab his inebriated date, and for the four of them to head out the back way.

"Ryan, my man, where're you going?" Craig asked. "Hey, can you and I talk for a sec, just a little one-on-one." He eyed Marissa, who caught the look and turned to Seth. "Hey, let's get one of those margaritas the bartender's making."

Ryan and Craig walked over into the hallway near the bathroom where there was a pretty steady stream of people wandering in and out.

"Hey man, your girlfriend's pretty hot. You know, I know things must be pretty fucked up with your family and all. You haven't been given too many breaks in life, but you seem to have turned out pretty well. You know, I used to think of you as a younger brother."

Ryan looked at him. Other than this little trip down memory lane, he wasn't sure where Craig was going with this.

"So, little bro, if you'd like, I'll give you and your woman the key to my bedroom. I keep it locked during these kinds of parties, I don't want group orgies going on in there." Craig held out his hand to give Ryan the key right as Marissa walked up.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking at the two guys.

"Yeah, sure; everything's fine. I was just offering Ryan and you the opportunity for some alone time, if you'd like," Craig said, indicating to the key he was still holding out to Ryan.

Surprising them both, Marissa grabbed the key and gave Craig a smile. "Thanks, I think that would be great!" She grabbed Ryan and started dragging him down the hall.

"Wait, Marissa, what about Seth and Summer?" Ryan asked. Knowing those two, something bad was going to happen.

"Oh, they'll be fine. I bet they'll be finding a room of their own." Marissa found the only bedroom that had a key lock on the outside, and inserted the key into the lock. The door opened and she pulled Ryan inside the bedroom with her.

Ryan and Marissa turned and looked at each other at the same moment. _This is it,_ Marissa thought to herself. 


	6. Six

Seth and Summer wandered outside and walked for a bit without saying a word. Summer needed to sober up; she was really wasted. Finally, Seth took Summer's hand in his and stopped. "Look, Summer, I know you feel really awkward about this, about us, especially at school, but I really think we could make a pretty good team." 

Summer looked at him for a moment before looking down. She knew that she'd treated him like crap at school because she always worried about what other people thought of her. "I do, too," she said quietly. Seth took her chin in his hand, tilted her face up to his, and began kissing her softly. 

*

Marissa led Ryan to stand in front of the bed. Still kind of taken aback by Marissa's boldness, Ryan wanted to be the one to make the first move this time. "Marissa, I'm not very good at this, but you make me the happiest I have ever been. I love you." Wow, okay there it was; he'd said it. He looked at her, waiting for her respond. 

She looked back up at him. "I love you, too." 

He took her in his arms and kissed her, slowly at first and then with building passion. He felt the heat between their bodies as they started kissing faster and faster. He reached up to her blouse to take it off, wondering if she would protest, and instead, found her helping him get it off faster. Then, the skirt. Wow, she looked beautiful in her bra and panties. She'd known what she wanted to do tonight, there was no doubt about it anymore. She started pulling on his shirt, yanking it over his head. They were devouring each other. She reached down and unzipped his pants. Seth had been right, Ryan wore a new pair of black boxer briefs that he had just bought a few days before, just in case. 

He led her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her. He was going to make this last. Plenty of foreplay; build up to making sweet love to her. This was all so different than the meaningless sex he'd had with the other girls. And while she wasn't a virgin, he wanted to make this special, and hoped that it was even better than her first time with Luke.

After Ryan had been on top of her, kissing her all over, Marissa rolled him over onto the bed and straddled him. She couldn't wait any longer, she felt like she was going to explode. She undid her bra, and Ryan reached up to throw it onto the floor.

After what seemed like hours, Ryan and Marissa lay together, exhausted and content. Marissa was amazed. She'd had no idea sex could be this good. Luke hadn't even tried to make her orgasm, while Ryan had waited, sped up and slowed down, waiting for her, and they climaxed together. Her hunch was right, whatever experience he'd had - and she'd never ask about it - showed.

Ryan gazed over at Marissa. This was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He'd never been in love, hell he'd never really cared about pleasing the girls he'd been with. Trey had always said women were there for the using, and to not worry about them climaxing. But he'd waited; waited for Marissa, and it'd been awesome. He didn't think all of this would happen so soon, or at a stupid party in Huntington Beach, but he never wanted to leave this moment, this feeling.

*

Seth had found Craig, who'd told him where to find Ryan and Marissa. He stood in front of the closed door. Why was this always happening to him? He knocked on the door. 

"Hey, Ryan, are you in there, man? Shit, I hate interrupting you two _again_, but we have a little _situation_ out here."

He stood back and waited, wondering exactly what he was interrupting. He hadn't seen Ryan or Marissa in quite a long time. Long enough for him to realize just how trashed Summer was, after watching her pass out after throwing up. Thankfully, they were still on the sandy beach, so that she wasn't embarrassed in the house where the party was still in full swing.

Ryan heard Seth at the door. Should he ignore it? Damn he kept knocking; this had _better be good,_ Ryan thought to himself.

Ryan looked at Marissa, she almost looked like she was asleep. He got out of the bed and put on his boxers and shirt, and then opened the door.

Seth looked at Ryan and then past him to Marissa in bed, under the sheets this time. "Dude, once again, I'm really sorry, but Summer passed out and I can't wake her up. I think we need to leave."

Ryan turned around to Marissa, who, upon hearing Summer's name, had come to a seated position with the sheet wrapped around her. "What's going on?" she asked.

Ryan replied. "Marissa, it seems that Summer's had a bit too much to drink, we gotta go. I'm going to go with Seth to get Summer. Can you get dressed and meet us out on the sidewalk?"

"Sure, I'll be out there in a sec." Marissa sat back to lean on the headboard. Why did everything have to happen like this?

*

"Geez, Seth, what did you two have to drink?" Ryan asked after trying mostly unsuccessfully to revive Summer. She was half-conscious, but wasn't going to be walking on her own. Ryan reached down to scoop her up, this was like Mexico, but thankfully, this time, the girl was just going to have a hangover, and not wind up on suicide watch in the hospital.

"I don't know, man, I had three beers, but I lost track of hers. Why's she so loopy, man?"

Ryan knew the answer, coke and alcohol made you this loopy. He looked down at Summer again. Thankfully, she seemed okay.

Marissa found them and was worried about Summer. "Is she going to be okay Ryan?" She'd never seen Summer look like this.

Ryan looked at Marissa, and then back at the house before he started walking and carrying Summer to the Range Rover. He wouldn't tell anyone his suspicion about Summer, at least until after he'd a little chat with her.

The three of them walked, with Ryan carrying Summer to the Range Rover.

The End.


End file.
